The Black Sheep
by K.R.Lewis
Summary: Debra Dursley, or as she likes to be called Echo, was as far Dursley as one can be. She has never felt like she belonged and the only one who understood her was the cousin that everyone hated. Echo was the black sheep, the outcast, and to make matters worst she just found out she's a witch. (Book 1 of The Echo Series)
1. Intro

Since the moment Debra Dursley was born she was different. When compared to her family she looks nothing like them. Her mother has blonde hair and pale eyes, while her father has black hair and small blue eyes. Debra was born a ginger with brilliant blue eyes.

It's not just looks, however, that differs Debra from her family. Since being born Debra has shown signs of being selfless and outgoing. Debra had a sharp tongue and could often be a hot head, the only thing she shares with her mother.

Growing up Debra grew further and further apart from her family. Upon having Harry join their little family grew, even more, estranged from her parents and her brother, going as far as changing her name.

Debra often believed when she talked to her parents it was like an echo effect. She would have to repeat herself numerous times for her to be heard, therefore when Harry joked and said she was like an echo when talking to her parents, Debra decided that she would be called that, Echo.

The reasoning for Debra feeling so different was about to come to light during her eleventh birthday.


	2. Chapter 1

One thing Echo hated about today was that she had to share her birthday with her brother. She would give anything to have her birthday be before or even after Dudley's, but sadly it is the same day as him.

Today she turns eleven. Echo didn't ask for much, she never does. The only she asked for was a necklace with a black sheep on it, some money to buy back to school clothes, and a new novel that she has been wanting to read. Of course, because she didn't ask for much, Echo knew her mother was going to give her a good amount of money.

So, when Echo woke up that morning and walked into the kitchen she was greeted with a pile of Dudley's gift that, as Echo counts, is a total of thirty-six. Echo finds hers sitting on the counter. It is a card, a small box shaped package, and another box shape that looks to be her book. "Thank you mother." Echo says quietly, causing her mother to give her a tight smile.

Petunia, often times, favored Dudley due to Echo being so different. Most Echo gets from her mother is pleasantries and from her father is a nod or a short response, most time her father barely acknowledged.

Echo is pulled out of her thoughts by her mother's screeching. "Up! Get up! Now!" Echo frowns as she hears this. Poor Harry wakes up to this all the time. "Up!"

Echo watches as her mother walks back in to make sure the bacon isn't burning. "Do you want help mother?" Echo asks, being polite as always.

"No, he can get it." He being Harry. Her mother walks back out into the hallway. "Are you up yet?"

"Nearly," Echo hears Harry call.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's and Debra's birthday."

"Echo. Echo." Echo whispers.

"What did you say?" Echo almost thought it was her, her mother was talking to, but it was Echo's cousin.

"Nothing, nothing..." Echo's mother walks back in, making some tea up for them all.

Harry walks into the kitchen and gives a small smile at Echo. "Hey, Echo."

"Hey, Harry." Echo smiles back. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

"How are you doing?"

"Okay."

"Watch the bacon!" Echo's mother snaps, causing Harry to give Echo a small smile before heading over to the bacon. He was turning it over when Echo's father walks in.

"Comb your hair!" He barks to Harry in a way of greeting.

Harry's black hair grew in all different directions and is normally a mess. Echo was gifted with curls. What Echo really loved about Harry was his lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Neither of them knew how he got it, but she loved it as much as he did.

Echo helps Harry set the different plates down on the table, which was no easy task with all of Dudley's presents on it. Echo looks up as her brother walks in. He counted his presents, his smile falling. "Thirty-six." He looks at them all. "That's two less than last year."

"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under the big one from Mummy and Daddy."

"Alright, thirty-seven then." Echo quickly eats her toast and eggs as she senses her brother's tantrum beginning.

Her mother also sensed the danger and began to talk quickly. "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that alright?" Dudley thought for a long hard time.

"So I'll have thirty... thirthy..."

"Thirty-nine." Echo whispers.

"Oh." Dudley sits down beside her and grabs the nearest parcel. "Alright then."

"Thank you." Echo's mother mouths to her, causing Echo to nod.

"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" Echo's father says as he ruffles Dudley's hair. Sadly this is how it's always is at the Dursley's household. Dudley throws a tantrum, her mother gives him everything he wants, her father encourages Dudley's behavior, and Echo tries her best to help her mother deal with Dudley.

Echo never thought that would change.


	3. Chapter 2

Echo glances over as the telephone began to ring. Her mother gets up and answers it as Dudley begins to unwrap his brand new racing bike. Echo puts her brand new necklace on and smiles down at the sheep that holds a great meaning to Echo.

Echo glances up as her brother unwraps his video camera, then his remote control airplane, sixteen brand new computer games, and a VCR. Echo frowns as she sees him go from one present to the next without even a single thank you. He is just unwrapping a gold wristwatch when their mother got off the phone and heads their way with anger and worry in her eyes. It causes Echo to grow worried.

"Bad news, Vernon," Her mother begins. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She clarifies 'him' by jerking her head towards Harry's direction.

Every year the family go somewhere cool for the twins birthdays. Dudley would bring a friend with me, but Echo always turned that option down. At school, Echo was the outgoing sweet girl, but everyone found her strange. She often had a wild imagination, which others find absurd. Imagination is like a death curse in this household, imaginations are deadly to the Dursleys.

Echo would have asked to take Harry as her plus two, but that would have made her family ill stricken. Harry is forced to stay with an old crazy cat lady name Mrs. Figg, who lives just two streets away. Echo often hears Harry complain about it because supposedly the entire house smells like cabbage. She also forces Harry to look at all the photos of the cats that she has ever own.

Echo can only imagine what is going through everyone's head. Harry would have to come with them, but Echo also knows the entire family will try hard to find another way. "What now?" Echo's mother asks.

"We could phone Marge." Echo's father suggests. Marge is her aunt. She's a rather distasteful woman. She's very fat and has a short neck just like Echo's father and brother. She even has a mustache!

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." Echo's mother says off handingly.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend-Yvonne?"

"On vacation in Majorca." Echo hates when they talk about Harry as if he isn't there or as if he is just a slug that can't understand them.

"You could just leave me here." Harry suggests, causing Echo to give him a sympathetic look because she knew that would never happen.

"And come back and find the house in ruins?" Her mother snarls as he says that.

"I won't blow up the house." No one is paying attention to poor Harry.

"I suppose we could take him to the zoo." Her mother trails off. "And leave him in the car."

"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone." Her father buts in.

Dudley begins to throw a tantrum, which in involves very fake and loud crying. He hasn't cried in a long time for real, but he knew how to fake it. He always gets his way if he makes them think he's crying. He screws up his face and wails.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" Echo's mother cries as she flings her arms around his fat neck.

"I... don't... want...him...t-t-to come!" Dudley yells between huge fake sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shoots Harry a nasty grin between his mother's arms.

Echo rolls her eyes just as the doorbell rings. "That'd be Dudley's friend." Echo says.

"Oh, good Lord, they're here!" Her mother says frantically. The second Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walks in with his mother Dudley stops fake crying. Piers is a scrawny boy with a face that resembles a rat.

Echo looks from Piers, who she calls rat boy, and then her brother, before looking at her parents. She knew what was going to happen. Harry is coming with them.


	4. Chapter 3

Echo smiles as she holds Harry's hand, the two walking out the door a half an hour later to head off to the zoo. "I... I can't believe I'm going." Harry whispers, causing Echo to smile as she squeezes his hand.

"You." They turn to see Echo's father heading to them. "I'm warning you both," He begins as he eyes them over before moving his large purple face right in the kids' space. "I'm warning you now, boy and..." He eyes over Echo. "And Debra," She winces at the name. "Any funny business, anything at all- and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." He barks at Harry.

"I'm not going to do anything, honestly." Harry says. Echo's father ignores Harry and looks at her.

"And you'll be staying with your aunt for the rest of the summer." Echo swallows back, already fearing that. Her aunt hated her and Echo will be treated like a cat, her aunt hates cats.

The problem is no matter how hard the two try to be good things tend to happen. They don't try to make things happen or how they do it. One time Harry came back from the barber and he didn't even look like he got a haircut, so Echo's mother grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and begin to chop Harry's hair so short it looked like he was almost bald except for his bangs, Echo's mother hated Harry's scar. She had said, 'to hide that horrible scar." She said this to justify why she left those bangs behind.

After Dudley had seen Harry he laughed himself silly, while poor Harry didn't sleep at all that night because all he could think about was how horrible school will end up. At school, he's already laughed at for his broken glasses, which are taped with a lot of scotch tape, and his clothes are baggy due to them being hand-me-downs from Dudley. When the morning came, however, Harry had his hair all back to the way it had been before. Even though he couldn't explain how it grew back so fast he was given a week in his cupboard.

On one occasion, Echo had been being forced into a horrid dress that her aunt got her for Christmas. Her mother tried to get the dress on her, but it kept unraveling until it was nothing, but string. No one could explain it, but her aunt just said it had to be cheap stitching, which meant Echo luckily didn't get into trouble for it.

Another time for Echo was when her mother tried to tie her hair with ugly pink bows, the bows kept wrapping around her mother instead of Echo's hair. Echo remember how freaked her mother was when they kept getting longer and would wrap around her like snakes. She had gotten to spend the whole summer watching her aunt's dogs, which are horrid beasts.

Strange things happen to them and no matter how hard they try to prevent things from happening they happen anyways.

But today the two are determined to have nothing go wrong today. Harry wants to have a good day out, while Echo wants not to be shipped off to her aunt's house.

While her father drives he complains to her mother. Her father loved to complain about things. He complains about work, the people he works with, Harry, the council, the bank, and Harry, Harry, Harry. Harry was his favorite thing to complain about. This morning was all about motorcycles.

"Roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums." Her father spat as a motorcycle rushes past them.

"I had a dream about a motorcycle." Harry tells them. "It was flying."

Echo is suddenly trapped in her own mind.

Echo sits on the bright green grass, staring up with big blue eyes. She giggles as she sees a black motorcycle driving above her. "Honey, I think she wants to go for a ride." A man on the motorcycle calls down to them. He has shoulder-length black hair and big stormy gray eyes that hold a warmth when they look down at Echo and the woman beside Echo. The woman had ginger hair and the same blue eyes as her.

"No way, that is dangerous and-

"What's the harm." The man drives the bike down to the ground before holding his arms out. The woman beside Echo huffs before lifting her up.

"If any harm comes to-

"I would never let anything happen to her." The man smiles.

"You better not or I'll curse you into oblivion." The man chuckles before scooping Echo up and taking off once more into the air. Echo giggles and squeals as they ride up and up and up.

"Echo." Echo is pulled from her thoughts and looks at Harry. They have arrived at the zoo. It's a very sunny Saturday, so the zoo was crowded with a bunch of families. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay... Just..." Truthfully Echo had no idea what that was. She doesn't remember who that man or woman was, but she can only guess it had to be Harry's parents... but what was the deal with the flying motorcycle.

"Are you coming?" Echo nods as she slips out of the car and starts for the zoo with her hand in Harry's.

The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance, while Echo got a peanut butter swirl vanilla with reece peanut butter cups in it. She smiles as she eats the ice cream, while the smiling lady turns to Harry and ask what he wanted. This meant they had to buy him something, so they bought him a very cheap lemon ice pop, which Harry told Echo was actually okay tasting. They tasted each other's food, while they walked around the zoo.

They watch as a gorilla scratched its head, which made them laugh together as they look at Dudley, who looks just like it, but blonde. Echo had an amazing morning with Harry, the two loved to spend time together, but they often didn't get to, so this was becoming one of their favorite days.

The two walked quite a distance from Dudley and Piers, who were both getting bored of the animals by lunchtime, so the cousins didn't want to have them turn around and fall back on their favorite hobby of beating up poor Harry.

They ate in the zoo restaurant, which Dudley had a tantrum in because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, so their father bought him another one. Harry and Echo shared his first one together.

The two couldn't stop smiling at each other, but they should have known it was too good to have last forever.

After lunch they went inside the reptile house, which was Echo's favorite place. It was cool and dark in there with lit windows all along the walls. It reminded Echo of a cave and it made her love it even more. Behind the glass were all sorts of lizards and snakes that were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone.

Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons, which Echo found to be a bit too... scary maybe. It wasn't long before Dudley found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped itself around Echo's father's car twice and then crush it into a tiny tin can, but at the moment it looked to be asleep.

Dudley stood with his pudgy nose pressed against the class, his face all smooshed, as he stares the glistening brown coils. "Make it move." He whines to his father, who taps the glass, but the snake didn't even blink. "Do it again." Dudley orders, causing their father to rap on the glass once more with a loud smack smack smack. The snake simply snoozed on and ignored them. "This is boring." Dudley groans as he shuffles his fat rump off.

Harry and Echo glance at each other before moving in front of the tank and look at the snake with great interest. "Poor thing." Echo whispers. She's not surprised it is sleeping, it probably died from boredom. The snake had no company except stupid people who drum their fingers on the glass trying to make it do tricks for them like some show dog. Echo thinks its worst than what Harry has to live with. At least he got to see the rest of the house, but he did wake up to a similar hammering from Echo's mother.

The snake opens his eyes and slowly lifts his head so he can be eye level with Echo and Harry. It winks at them, causing Echo to gasp, while Harry stares at it shock. They both look around to make sure no one was watching before turning back to the snake. The two both wink at the snake, who then jerks his head towards Echo's brother and father. The snake raises its eyes to the ceiling as if to say, 'I get that all the time.'

"I know." Harry whispers.

"It must drive you nuts, you poor thing." Echo whispers. The snake nods vigorously as he eyes the two over.

"Where do you come from, anyways?" Harry asks. The snake jabs its tail at a little sign next to the glass. They look at it and it reads 'Boa Constrictor, Brazil. "Was it nice there?"

"Harry." Echo tugs on his sleeve and points to the sign again. Harry looks closer, it reads bred in the zoo.

"Oh, I see-So you've never been to Brazil?" The snake shakes his head in a sad manner.

"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" Piers yells, causing Harry and Echo to turn just as Dudley waddles up to them and punches Harry in the ribs.

"Out of the way, you." He growls, causing Harry to fall hard on the concrete floor, dragging Echo with him. Echo groans as she falls on top of him.

"Sorry." He whispers.

"It's fine." She sits up and looks over to see Piers and Duley fall into the tank as if the glass just wasn't there. Harry sits up and gasps as the Boa Constrictor slips out of the tank with a rapid speed. It slithers down onto the floor and slides through the reptile house for the exit, while the people scream and start running.

The snake hisses to Harry and Echo as he slithers past them. "But the glass," The keeper of the reptile house repeats in shock. "Where did the glass go?"

The director of the zoo himself made Echo's mother a strong cup of sweet tear, while he apologizes over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber on and on. The snake did nothing, but maybe snap playfully at their heels as it passed the people, but by the time they reached the car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten his leg off, while Piers swears it had tried to squeeze him to death. It only got worst when Piers calmed down enough to tell them this, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" Echo stares at Piers in shock as they ride back in a fearful silence.

When Piers went home, Echo's father could barely speak with how angry he was. "Go-Cupboard-stay-no meals!" He barks before he collapsed into his chair, while Echo's mother ran off to grab a large bottle of brandy for him.

Echo watches in sadness as Harry got locked in his cupboard. "So much for a great day." She whispers with a sad look in her eyes.


	5. Chapter 4

Echo was happy to have the summer of doing nothing, but hanging out with Harry. It wasn't until Summer that Harry got let out. They spent most of their days out of the house because they didn't want to be around Dudley and his gang, who hung around all the time, spending time beating up Harry when Harry would get caught by them.

Piers and Dudley were both going to Smeltings, a private school that Echo's father had attended. Dudley had just come back from getting his uniform. Harry was attending Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley was making fun of ever since he learned Harry was attending because he found it funny.

Echo was attending an all girl school for the misbehaved, her father's twisted idea. When Dudley got back in his new uniform he kept prancing around like he was a god. The uniform insisted of a maroon tailcoat, orange knickerbockers, and a flat straw hat that is called a boater. They also have a knobbly stick, which is used for hitting each other while the teachers aren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.

As Echo's mother and father look at Dudley in his new outfit, her father gruffly said it was his proudest moment of his entire life. Her mother bursts into tears when she saw him, saying she couldn't believe her ickle dudleykins was so grown up and handsome. Harry and Echo didn't trust themselves to speak without bursting into laughter.

When the next morning came Echo walked into the kitchen smelling a horrid smell. It smelt like spoiled food and the smell came right from the sink where a large metal tub resided in it. When Echo and Harry looked in it they saw a lot of dirty rags swimming in it, the water was gray.

"What this?" Harry asks, causing Echo's mother to tighten her lips. She hated questions.

"Your new school uniform." She says nastily.

"Oh... I didn't realize it had to be so wet." Echo bites her lips to keep from laughing.

"Don't be stupid!" Her mother snaps. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished.

Harry and Echo exchange a look. "I'm sorry." She whispers before going and taking a seat the table. Harry frowns before following after her.

"I'm going to look like I'm wearing bits of old elephant skin."

"Don't worry. It'll work out." She promises.

Dudley and her father walk in, both with their noses wrinkled. Her father opens his newspaper and Dudley banged his Smelting stick on the table.

Echo glances over as she hears the sound of mail being slide in. "Get the mail, Dudley." Her father says.

"Make Harry get it."

"Get the mail, Harry."

"Make Dudley get it." Harry responds back.

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." Harry barely dodges as he and Echo rush to the front door to pick up the mail. They gather it up and look it over. it's a postcard from Marge, Echo's evil aunt, and a brown envelope that was a bill, while the other two were identical letters for Harry and Echo.

Echo reads over her letter.

Miss. D. Dudley

The Second Bedroom

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

The envelope is thick and heavy. It was made of a yellowish parchment and the address was written in emerald green ink. There was no stamp on it. They turn their letters over and saw a purple wax seal that was a crest. It had a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

"What is this?" She whispers.

"Hurry up, boy!" Her father yells to Harry. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckles at his own pathetic joke.

The two walk in as Echo unseals her letter. Inside are two parchments. "Marge's ill." Her father says after reading the postcard. "Ate a funny whelk."

"Dad!" Dudley yells suddenly, just as Echo pulls out the parchment. "Dad! Harry and Debra got something!" He shouts.

'Hogwarts School of-' Echo reads before her letter it ripped right out of her hands.

"Father!" She shouts in shock.

"That's ours!" Harry yells as he and Echo try to snatch it back.

"Who'd be writing to you?" Her father looks over her letter and he goes from red to green as fast as a traffic light. He turned a grayish white within another second. "P-p-petunia!" He shouts in alarm. Dudley tries to grab the letter, but his father holds out of his read. Their mother takes it and looks over it curiously before she too looked ready to faint.

"Vernon! Oh, my goodness-Vernon!" The two stare at each other, while Dudley hits his father with his stick, not liking being ignored.

"I want to read that letter!" He shouts.

"I want to read it." Harry barks. "As it's mine."

"It's mine too, I want to read it!" Echo yells.

"Get out, all of you!" Her father croaks. No one moved.

"We want our letters!" They shout together.

"Let me see it!" Dudley demands.

"Out!" Their father roars as he grabs them all by the scruffs of their necks and throw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door loudly behind them.


	6. Chapter 5

Thank you for the comments. I love hearing what you think. I just want to clear things up first. For the Echo thing, it is said in the intro that growing up when Debra talked to her parents it was like an echo effect. She had to repeat herself in order for them to hear. It's a joke between her and Harry, so that is why only Harry calls her that and her family calls her Debra. She also hates that name so her father does it out of spite.

Also, they send the letters out during the summer of your eleventh birthday. Harry didn't turn eleven until Hagrid came to get him. So it's not really on their eleventh birthday that they get the letter. Hermione is a year older than Ron and Harry, but she was eleven turning that summer until after school already started, so it's not on their birthday that they get it. It's the summer while their eleven that they get it. This chapter will go into more of how the family feels about Debra. It'll be a flashback. This is a different take on chapter four. I didn't realize until afterwards that I already did this part, but I like both chapters, so I am making this a different take on chapter four.

* * *

Echo sits outside the door as her brother and cousin fights over who gets to listen through the keyhole. A sigh escapes her lips as she looks out the window. Echo thinks about to when a time when life hadn't always been like this.

 _Echo sits in the living room playing with her dolls when she hears her parents fighting from down the hall. Echo puts down her barbie and heads towards the noise. "She's just a little girl, Vernon."_

 _"Her teachers saw her talking to a bird today."_

 _"Lots of kids talk to animals."_

 _"Not ours. She's like her, Petunia. She's like your freak sister."_

 _"No, Vernon, she's just a little girl. She's normal. She isn't one of those."_

 _"How can you defend her!"_

 _"Because she's my little girl! All of our marriage I have always wanted a little girl, Vernon. Now I have one, why must you ruin that by telling me she is... she is apart of that group."_

 _"We made a promise to each other, Petunia. We would never have one of those in our house. We already took in... that... that boy! We will stamp it out of him and Debra to if it comes to it."_

 _"Vernon, please."_

 _"I am not having a freak for a daughter!" Echo looks up at her father as he walks out. He gives her a glare before storming down the hall. Echo turns and looks_ as _her mother sees her._

 _"Oh, Debra."_

 _"Mommy, what did daddy mean?"_

 _"Don't worry, darling, you aren't one of them. You can't be." Petunia picks her up and holds her tightly in her arms. "You can't be. I can't lose you to them too."_

Echo takes in a shaky breath as she looks at her cousin laying down on the floor, trying to listen to her parents from the crack under the door, while her brother listened through the keyhole. "I had wanted to be normal for so long." Echo whispers under her breath. "For so long."

 _Echo bursts into tears as her father throws the cat out of the house. "N-no! D-daddy! Don't!" She cries as the cat is locked outside. "I want the kitty!" She screams as she hits the door, trying to get it open, but she is too small to reach the handle. "Kitty!"_

 _"I will not have you near any animals!"_

 _"But she has no one. She's an orphan. She told me her parents got ran over. She needs me!" Echo cries._

 _"Cats can't talk!" Her father screams_

 _"But she did! She talked to me!"_

 _"That's enough! I will not hear any more of this nonsense, Debra!"_

 _"Mommy! I swear she talked to me! Please, mommy!" Her mother has tears rolling down her face as she looks at Echo._

 _"You're one of them."_

 _"No, mommy! No, please. I'm normal, I promise."_

 _"I told you Petunia. She's one of them. Our daughter is one of them and I will not have it! Go pack your things."_

 _"Vernon, what are you doing?" Petunia asks in alarm._

 _"I am not having another one of them in my house!"_

 _"You're kicking her out?"_

 _"I am not having a freak for a daughter."_

 _"Vernon... what about the neighbors! What will they think if we kick our daughter out? It'll only look worse." Vernon stops midway up the stairs and looks at Petunia and then Debra._

 _"She can stay, but she is not my_ daughter. _" Vernon says before heading up the stairs the rest of the way._

 _"Mommy..." Debra whispers as her mother stares at her with a sad face._

 _"I always wanted a daughter."_

 _"I am your daughter..."_

 _"No... you're not. You're apart of that group."_

 _"Mommy! Please."_

 _"S-stop!" Her mother cries. "Please, stop. I can't_... _I can't..." Petunia hurries out of the room crying as Debra stands there in tears._

 _"Mommy." Debra cries. "I want to be normal. I do."_

Echo covers her face as she feels the tears threating to come through. "I wanted to be normal, but you shut me out."

 _Echo walks into the kitchen as Dudley is opening his gifts. "Here, Debra." Echo looks up as her mother holds out a gift for her._

 _"Why are you still giving her gifts. It'll only encourage her."_

 _"I... The neighbors' talk, Vernon." Petunia defends herself as she looks at Echo. "The neighbors, Vernon... think about the neighbors." Echo takes the gift and nods to her mother._

 _"You always wanted a daughter." Echo whispers. "One to spoil and love, but you got me instead."_

Echo wipes her eyes as Harry gets up. "They're done talking."

"What did they say?"

"They think people are spying on us, following us around."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He said he was going to stamp all that nonsense out when he took me in. He's just going to ignore the letters."

"Why?"

"He thinks they'll stop if he doesn't respond to them." Echo sighs as she looks at Harry.

"I guess we're not going to find out what the letter is about."

"Don't be so half empty. We will find out." Harry promises.

"I don't know if I want to." Echo whispers as Harry heads to his cupboard. "I have a feeling I won't be normal if I find out."


End file.
